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Killing Curse
The Killing Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses, causes instantaneous death. There is no known counter-curse or cure for it; however, one may dodge the green bolt or use a physical barrier to block it. An explosion or green fire may result if the spell hits something other than a living target. Lord Voldemort was famous for using this curse regularly and indiscriminately. Its incantation is Avada Kedavra (pr. Av-''ada'' Ked-''av''-ra). Appearance and Effect The Killing Curse is described as a jet of blinding green light, which causes the victim instant death. A death caused by this curse may be physically painless; "echoes" of previous victims have asserted the death felt "more easy than falling asleep." Victims of the Killing Curse that have been examined with Muggle methods are known to show no visible signs of trauma. .]] Fatality Only one person is known to have survived a direct application of the curse: Harry Potter, who was saved when his mother, Lily Evans, sacrificed herself by blocking the spell with her body. Over a decade later, Harry would survive the curse twice more: once when the effect killed only the Horcrux inside him, and again when the wand being used to curse him, the Elder Wand, refused to destroy him. Phoenixes are also immune to the Killing Curse. Fawkes swallowed one intended for Albus Dumbledore. He burst into flames, and was reborn from his ashes. Albus Dumbledore was able to block the curse during his fight with Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries as the Elder Wand made him undefeatable. The Killing Curse is not the only spell that will cause death to a living creature. Other spells may cause injury or bleeding, such as Fiendfyre, Sectumsempra, or Stunning Spell. Known Victims Known Attempts ' death due to Voldemort's Killing Curse.]] * Voldemort attempted to curse Harry Potter in his infancy, but the curse was blocked by Lily Evans' magical protection. The curse backfired on Voldemort, who survived only due to the many Horcruxes he had created. * Voldemort attempted to curse Harry Potter during their duel in the Little Hangleton graveyard in 1994. Harry's simultaneous Expelliarmus charm produced the Priori Incantatem effect between their two twin-core wands. * Voldemort attempted to curse Harry Potter at the same battle, in the Ministry of Magic Atrium. The curse was blocked by Dumbledore, who transfigured a golden statue from the Fountain of Magical Brethren to protect Harry. * Voldemort attempted to curse Dumbledore several times during that same battle, however Dumbledore blocked it successfully each time. Dumbledore was using the Elder Wand, which made him undefeatable in duels. * Vincent Crabbe attempted to curse Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in 1997, but the curse missed them both. * Voldemort attempted to curse Harry Potter twice in that same year, but Harry survived both curses, as is explained above. * Voldemort attempted to use the curse to kill Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott during the climax of the final battle. Disputed Uses * Barty Crouch Jr admitted to the murder of his father, Barty Crouch Sr, but never identified his method of killing as the Killing Curse. * In 1995, Bellatrix Lestrange cursed Sirius Black with something that sent him through the Veiled Arch in the Department of Mysteries, but it has never been proven this was in fact the Killing Curse.(It was a jet of red light.) (In the film she used the killing curse.) * Bellatrix Lestrange slew a fox with a nonverbal spell producing a "flash of green light" in 1996. However, it is not explicitly clear that she used the Killing Curse. * Alastor Moody was killed in 1997 by a curse that resulted in his death. Again, it is not explicitly clear that the Killing Curse was used. * Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange with a spell that struck her in the heart, but it cannot be proven that she used the Killing Curse. Not only that, but Lestrange realized she was about to die; she did not die instantly, which is what the Curse does. Etymology Avada Kedavra may originate from the commonly-used phrase Abracadabra, an Aramaic phrase meaning "Begone like this word." It is much more likely to be based on the Aramaic אבדא כדברא avada kedavra, meaning I destroy as I speak. Behind the scenes * In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film), Lucius Malfoy says "Avada" at Harry after he unwittingly frees Dobby. Dobby knocks Lucius backwards with magic to protect Harry, and he doesn't finish the incantation. * In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), Bellatrix Lestrange is shown using the curse and the incantation to kill Sirius Black, which was fundamentally different from the same scene in the book. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' *''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' Category:Spells Category:Curses Category:Unforgivable Curses Category:Dark Magic Category:Articles related to Horcruxes fr:Avada Kedavra ru:Авада Кедавра